. Pet Shop Boys - Go West

Pet Shop Boys - Go West.

Go West is a song by the 1970s disco group Village People. The song eventually found greater success when it was covered in 1993 by the synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys.

Originally released as a single in 1979, it was not as popular as the group's other contemporary singles such as "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy".

The song's title is attributed to the 19th century quote "Go West, young man" commonly attributed to Horace Greeley, a rallying cry for the colonization of the American West; likewise, "Go West" is generally understood as an expression of the 1970s sentiment of San Francisco as a utopia for the Gay Liberation movement. Notwithstanding, the iconography of the Pet Shop Boys videoclip makes clear reference to the search for freedom of communism-dominated peoples, as the 'go west' was the cry to try to get the personal freedom that western societies enjoy.

Both the 7" and 12" versions of the song were subsequently collected in various greatest hits collections, including a 1997 radio remix which was made in the wake of the success of Pet Shop Boys' 1993 version.

In 1992, when Pet Shop Boys were asked by Derek Jarman to perform at an AIDS charity event at The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester, Chris Lowe of the duo selected "Go West" as the song they would perform. Though singer Neil Tennant was unable to remember the lyrics during that performance, the two decided to record it as a single.

The original single version of the song, set for an earlier release in 1992 as a non-album single, was never used. However, both its extended dance mix, and its similarly unreleased B-side "Forever in Love" (an edited version was released on Very Relentless in 1993), were eventually released on the 2001 expanded reissue of Very; its 7" mix also was mistakenly placed on the 2009 compilation Party. Instead, the song was released in a different version in 1993, as the second single from Very, and featuring a different B-side, "Shameless". This release included remixes by Brothers in Rhythm, Farley & Heller, Kevin Saunderson, and Mark Stent. The single went to number two in the United Kingdom and number one in Germany; in both countries, it was Pet Shop Boys' biggest hit of the 1990s. The single also reached #1 in Ireland, the last of the duo's four Irish #1 singles to date. "Go West" has since become Pet Shop Boys' traditional concert closer.

Years later, when Pet Shop Boys closed their set (song was performed twice - by request of audience) at the July 2, 2005 Moscow Live 8 concert in Red Square with the song, the Russian audience could be heard singing along.

Met dank aan wikipedia en YouTube,

H.V. Anderz.

Zie ook: Pet Shop Boys on Wikipedia.

Zie ook: Go West on Wikipedia.

Laatst bijgewerkt op 11 november 2010.

Zie ook: Beeldverhaal Anderz, Boeken Anderz, Astronomie Anderz, Film Anderz, Voetbal Anderz, Personen Anderz, Geschiedenis Anderz en Sport Anderz.